


Kisses Like Cherish (Heart of Gold)

by SalamanderInk



Series: Heart of Gold-Titanium Alloy [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Experienced Tony Stark, F/F, Fem Frostiron, Female Tony Stark, First Dates, Friends to Lovers, Lady Loki, Protective Tony Stark, Sensual Play, Tony is a terrible tease, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, inexperienced loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 00:53:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20462351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalamanderInk/pseuds/SalamanderInk
Summary: First date jitters happen to everyone, but when you think this isthe One, they can get a little bit out of hand. Thank goodness her roommate and her best friend have her back, because Loki's heart is a soft thing, easily prone to caring too much and bruising too easily.Then again, it couldn't be in any better hands.





	Kisses Like Cherish (Heart of Gold)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my answer to the Frostiron Exchange! So for Summer Santa, I got Fitz!  
So Fitz, I hope you're happy with this, and that maybe you're at least a little surprised!  
I also hope you're not too disappointed, I know it's not tentacles (sorry ^-^;;;) BUT! I promise to finish it soon(ish) and i'll gift it to you too (I might even manage it _before_ Christmas.)  
Be assured, it _is_ in the works!

**Heart of Gold**

Loki knew she was being dramatic. She was blowing everything out of proportion, making a mountain out of an anthill, being emotional, and a Drama Queen, and whatever other synonym her roommate had thrown her way in the last four hours. 

As said roommate was fond of telling her, seduction was not a matter of perfection so much as poise. And, at the moment, Loki was the furthest thing away from poised that she could be. She was also absolutely desperate and buried in growing mountain of clothes, frantically running back and forth between asking for advice and messing up her hair so badly she could feel the knots growing denser and tighter each time she ran her hands through her hair. 

“Loki, girl, you’ve got to stop. Take a deep breath, _put the dress down _and relax.”

“I can’t relax, Mo!”

Amora rolled her eyes at what was, in her humble opinion, an overdramatic display of nerves. She was rather used to Loki being a bit _over the top_, but this was clearly a new low. 

“What’s the big deal! You don’t even need to worry about “getting to know you” small talk! Just get there, sashay your hips, look divine, have great sex, come home before next Friday. Easy peasy.”

Amora marched into the room, carefully stepping over the wardrobe disaster on the ground and looked through what little was left on her hangers. 

She was unphased by her roommate’s indignant glare, she was rather used to them after all, and it was rather less intimidating and much more comical with the silk panties halfway covering her hair, but she was rather discomforted by the wet shine to her green eyes and the way her lips started to tremble. 

Her sharp gaze noticed that they were already red from being bitten, that her shirt was wrinkled in the corner she often twisted in her fist when she was panicking, and the long red lines along the arms from anxious scratching. 

She frowned. She hadn’t thought it was that serious. She’d come in expecting Loki to be her usual dramatic self, not a genuinely nervous wreck. 

Changing tracks between one step and the next, she sat down on the bed, ignoring the pang in her heart at the thought of the horrible wrinkles her weight would imprint on the clothes, and patted the spot next to her. 

After a moment of hesitation, her best friend let herself fall down on the bed as well, pulling a pillow over her head with a long suffering groan in the process.

Drama Queen, she thought fondly. 

Amora drew a Kinder bar from her garter belt and held it out as a green eye peeked out from under the pillow. It paid to be well prepared, and those were the most effective incentive she’d found yet to get Loki talking. Nothing like kid’s chocolate to make one feel vulnerable, nothing like sugar to loosen the tongue. And the convenient plastic packaging was a bonus. 

A halfhearted frown painted itself on Loki’s face.

“_Where_ did you get that from? Do you conjure them from thin air or something?” 

And while the first sentence was muffled by the pillow she was hugging to her neck, by the end of it she’d rolled to her side and was finally facing Amora. 

Coercion never worked on Loki, but careful nudging and bribery were sometimes an effective way to get her to open up. 

And holding sweets hostage was the most effective leverage she’d found so far. 

So it was only logical that after a mere few moments of being stared down by her roommate, between the perfectly plucked blonde eyebrow raised imperiously and the chocolate bribe held just out of reach, Loki just… broke. 

“I _know _it’s ridiculous, okay?”

Amora sighed and handed the sweet to Loki, pulling the other girl in a hug. It wasn’t quite what she’d wanted to hear, but it was a start. 

“Aww, honey…” 

Sometimes Loki got like that, overwhelmed and self conscious. Anxious. Amora had never pried, but she’d always tried to be there, to do her best to shore up her friends confidence and bring her back to the usual chirpy, mischievous little shit she’d grown to love. 

It wasn’t always easy, especially with Loki’s tendencies to feel absurdly ashamed of any uncontrolled emotional outbursts. Except for anger, that one was apparently allowed. 

And as exasperating as it sometimes was to see her most precious friend putting herself down like that, Amora couldn’t regret the relationship she’d fostered with the other girl. 

She’d always wanted a little sister. 

“It’s not ridiculous, sweetheart. You know I’ll never judge you and your feelings are always valid. Now tell Auntie Mo what’s the problem.”

Loki averted her eyes and busied herself with the plastic wrapper. Her fingers were fiddling around the edges, inefficiently picking at it. She’d barely cracked a tremulous smile at Amora’s self inflicted nickname. “

That was fine. Amora could be patient. She was certainly no saint and wouldn’t make nearly as much effort if it wasn’t Loki. But it _was _Loki. And to her? Loki was worth every effort. 

Amora sighed softly and started carding her fingers through her friend’s dark hair, gently petting her in a motion she knew was soothingly hypnotic. And if a few sparks of magic slipped through the caresses, then it was certainly a subconscious desire to help her best friend. 

“I won’t judge you, you know?”

Wet green eyes caught hers, just for a blink before they slipped back down, averted, almost ashamed. 

Amora just hummed and resumed her petting. She would be patient. Her friend would open up in her own time. 

When Loki finally decided to talk, her voice was raspy with unshed tears and a choked up throat.

“I know we don’t talk about it, Mo, but…”

She paused, looked up into Amora’s eyes again, something lost and vulnerable flashing at the surface before her eyes screwed shut as she inhaled through her teeth. 

When she opened them again, it was with a steely glint. Amora recognized the kind of desperation one got when making their last gamble, the moment of free fall where you stood to lose everything. 

Loki would never lose her of course, but she could be weirdly stubborn about her terrible self esteem. That was one of the main reasons the blonde was actually in favor of that date. Hooking up with someone even more headstrong than her would do a world of good to her favorite drama queen. 

“You never sleep with someone you care for. You’re always saying that people either get into your pants or your heart, and really, I was just the same, but…”

“But she’s different.” 

Amora had expected something like that. It had been a long time coming, after all. Loki had been pining for the best part of three years, had been babbling to her about her crush for even longer, long before she’d even known that her feelings might have been more than friendship. 

She was glad that Loki had found her “One”, especially since she knew that it was something that she’d actually _wanted, _as opposed to Amora herself who’d sworn of romantic attachments of any sort. 

(And if she had a few contingency plans to make the lady mightily uncomfortable should she break her best friend’s heart? Well, it was only her duty as Loki’s closest thing to a next of kin. She had it on good authority that her shovel talk was _terrifying. _She’d been practicing.)

A quick jerk of nervous fingers snapped the plastic wrapper open. Amora took a split second to be thankful that the snack-bribe wasn’t too banged up. Chocolate stains were a _pain _to get out of fabric. 

“What if I mess up?”

Loki’s voice was small, young. Amora hated it, hated hearing the only person in the whole world that she could trust, that she loved unconditionally… 

Loki had no business sounding so lost. 

And Amora knew _exactly _who to blame for that as well. 

Sadly, Loki’s present wellbeing took precedence over good old fashioned payback, and the plane tickets to Norway were entirely too overpriced at this time of the year. 

“Oh, sweetie...” 

She gathered up her trembling friend, cradling her in her arms and petting her softly. 

Most often, Loki was her safe harbor. The one who would never try to get in her pants or backstab her for being the prettiest or predating the same boy. The one who would pull her out of her too destructive downward spiral, who would patch her up after nights of partying and fucking everyone who moved. The one who went to the clinic with her for each of her scares, the one who opened the booze to celebrate the good news and to drown out the bad. 

But sometimes, _sometimes…_ she was Loki’s rock. The one constant, the unshakable will that would never budge no matter the tantrums, the one thing Loki could count on to stay the same as everything else kept changing and shifting and nothing was ever safe. Not even herself. Or sometimes himself, or even _themself_, as it happened. Those were often bad days. 

But Amora was always there. 

And, since about three years ago, she wasn’t the only one to be. 

With one hand still petting Loki’s dark hair, Amora reached behind her for the phone next to the pillow. Unlocking it and getting to the speed dial screen was the work of a moment, and really, Loki should really change her password, that was embarrassing. 

As she’d come to expect, Tony’s was the first number on the list. The flash of jealous grief was brief and mercilessly put down. Tony was good for Loki, and right now that’s who she needed. 

The phone picked up before the first dial tone was over. 

“Hello? Loki?”

As always, Toni’s voice was soft and steady. Even in hesitation or confusion, even when she let out her “showman” tendencies, she was incredibly… solid. 

Amora could easily understand why Loki had fallen for her. 

That and the crazy brilliance of her brain. Of _both_ their brains. 

“This is Amora speaking. Loki needs some emotional support at the moment.” 

And, just like every time she’d called her before just for that reason, Toni rose up to the occasion, like a fucking queen, all soft and concerned but at the same time all business and no nonsense implacable will. 

It boggled the mind, but Amora had gotten used to it. Toni Stark was just as crazy as her bestie, and that was probably the reason they fit so well together. 

“Of course. Give them the phone.” 

And Amora did. 

Because as much as she was Loki’s rock, she wasn’t enough, _couldn’t be_ enough for just one person, and if she had to share her Sweet Lo with anyone, she’d rather it be Crazy Toni Stark with her soft voice made of plated steel and her dignified poise and fuck-you white hair. 

_She_, at least hadn’t let her down yet. Hadn’t let either of them down. 

She couldn’t hear what they told each other, of course, did her best not to listen to Loki’s soft mumbles, couldn’t make out any words coming from the phone, but she could perceive the tone of voice, gently amused, caring, _soft._

Could feel Loki relax little by little in her arms, the shudders that felt too much like repressed sobs calming down until her breaths came deep and steady, the strength returning to her voice. 

The vice that she hadn’t even known was squeezing her heart loosened. She could breathe freely for the first time since she’d seen the red scratches along Loki’s arms, could relax the tight set of her shoulders and the steel grip she’d held over her emotions. The crisis was over. She would soon be able to retreat and lick her wounds in private. 

With Loki relaxed in her arms, she could enjoy the feel of her warm weight, the soft brush of her hair against her jaw, the rumble of her voice echoing through her. Amora closed her eyes, basking in the intimacy of it all. 

After a moment, Loki’s head popped up, her green eyes alight with her customary mischief, the same gentleness that had first made her approach all those years ago when she’d been about to seduce her oaf of a brother. 

“She wants to talk to you.” 

And just like that, a phone was in her hand and Loki was up, sashaying through her room and picking up stray clothes and putting them back. Amora tried not to feel the loss, not to notice the sudden cold or the glances Loki kept sending her. 

She had a rule and she much preferred to have Loki as a friend than someone she was exchanging favors with. 

“Hello?” 

Toni’s voice on the other end was calm, if a bit fondly exasperated as she reassured Amora that everything was fine and she’d make sure Loki wasn’t put in overly stressful situations. She didn’t know wether she should feel grateful for the update. Toni often did that, making sure she still felt included, that she didn’t think she was being replaced, that she wouldn’t fall apart on her own. 

She wasn’t certain what it said about her. She didn’t like being so transparent. 

And yet, knowing that Tony had quietly cancelled her dinner plans in favor for a quiet date at her place? She could have kissed that woman. 

She knew Loki could have put herself together, put on her mask and straightened up her spine, and that she’d faced the world in worse, much worse conditions. Toni knew that too. 

But it wasn’t necessary. Not this time, not with this Lady that Loki decided would be her One, not even for the first date they would have as a couple. 

Loki would be in good hands, even if it wasn’t Amora’s own. 

After that, agreeing to drive her there wasn’t even that hard.

* * *

“I can’t believe you called Toni while I was freaking out about what I would wear _on my date with her._” 

Just because Amora was kindly pretending not to know that Loki had been freaking out about quite a bit more than just clothes didn’t mean that Loki couldn’t tease her about it. 

She was still a little mortified about that, but she’d gotten almost used to not being mocked and scorned for her failures to control her emotions. 

Amora would tell her that it’s because she buries them instead of listening to them, and so they come back like the world’s most weepy zombie. 

Loki _hated zombies_. 

And perhaps she hated her feelings as well. They betrayed her too often. 

The car was warm with their easy bickering and there was no room for more emotional wreckage amidst their laughter, but Toni’s door was barely a stone’s throw away and she still wasn’t leaving the confines of her seat. 

Amora’s eyes were knowing as they cut to her. 

Loki sighed, a strange weariness passing through her like a wave. Anxiety made her chest tight and her breath shallow and her brain was way too efficient at cooking up worst case scenarios. 

She knew she would be fine as soon as she got to Toni’s side, as soon as she shifted her focus from _what ifs_ to the unbearably sweet tangle of warmth and delight that being with Toni brought out of her. 

But as usual the first step was always the hardest. 

It had always been like that, even when she’d been just a teenager and decided to try to befriend Amora. 

Those were good decisions, she knew, just like when she’d decided to runaway from Norway and her family, or when she got out of her funk and went on to pursue her higher education and career. 

Decisions that snowballed into more and more rippling consequences, opportunities that opened new doors and new possibilities. 

It got her the job at SI. It let her meet Toni. 

She could never regret that. 

As terrified as she was, she knew how _good _this was. Actually she was terrified _because _it was so good, so unbelievably good. She knew losing it, losing their friendship and their budding relationship, it would break her. 

She’d been broken before. She knew how to pick up the pieces and pull herself together. She would move on. 

But she didn’t want to. 

So, really, it wasn’t even a choice. 

The sound of the seatbelt unbuckling was loud in the expectant silence, but not unwelcome. Amora smiled, something relieved and maybe a bit tight around the eyes as she started mother-henning, spouting ridiculous self defense tips and recommendations. 

Loki was planning to score, and being naked wasn’t compatible with keeping her phone on her person at all times. 

Anyway, it was _Toni_. She’d already been alone with her a hundred times, many of those _at her house. _She trusted her. They _both_ did, otherwise Amora wouldn’t be leaving her there, especially without a getaway car. 

Loki indulged her anyway. Safety was never a joking matter, and they both knew much too personally how little trust meant, sometimes. 

After all, they each had their own brands of self destructiveness, but they didn’t exactly come from nowhere either. 

So she nodded at the right places, and with the sigh of the long suffering, showed her where her phone, keys, pepper spray and utility knife were hidden, agreed to phone in case of emergency and to give regular updates on whether she was still alive and if the sex was good. 

At that point, Loki snorted out a laugh and with one last half exasperated eye roll, she bid Amora goodnight, kissed her cheek and left the car. Strangely, her nerves were gone by then. Sneaky blonde. 

The night air was cold compared to the toasty warmth of their vehicle, the evening breeze caressing her bare legs as she hurried up the porch. 

Toni had told her to come in her pajamas, and for her it meant humongous tee shirt and boxer shorts. She was starting to feel a little embarrassed at walking outside in such a skimpy get up, but the idea that her first date would just turn into some grownup version of a slumber party was too distracting. 

She’d never _had_ a slumber party, growing up. Actually she’d never had female friends before Amora, and most of her _friends _before that weren’t really _hers._ Slumber parties were things she’d dreamed of in the same way most girls dreamt of having a pet unicorn. 

So as ridiculous as she felt out there in her Lady Mischief shirt and matching green panties and with her overnight bag half filled with candies, she was really happy. 

She rang the bell. Her nervous energy was swinging wildly to and from excitement, tingling from her belly and moving up her arms until she felt her fingers twitch, but she didn’t have to wait long. 

The door opened almost right away, and Toni was on the other side, handsome as usual, her white hair messy and ruffled, wearing Cookie Monster sweatpants and flour stains on her cheek. 

She was ridiculous. 

She was magnificent. 

Loki blinked and smiled so wide it hurt, something warm and breathless fluttering in her chest. 

“Hi.” 

Toni’s half frazzled expression settled on her, eyes softening as she smiled. 

“Loki! Just in time! Come in.”

Loki’s eyes trailed the spatula she was waving around, then slid back to the furry blue pants, then back up to Tony’s light blush. 

This was too good to pass up. 

“Feeling a bit of a craving, Sid?” 

Toni rolled her eyes, and yanked Loki inside, closing the door and slamming her against it. 

Their eyes locked, Loki’s wide with shock as Toni’s lids lowered enticingly. 

A hot puff of breath caressed her lips, and Loki parted them with a gasp. She felt a warm thrill deep in her belly, a poignant _want_ at the challenging glint in Toni’s golden eyes. 

“A _craving_, Loki? Yes, I suppose you could say that.” 

Loki felt a little like the mouse trapped into the panther’s claws, about to be devoured whole. 

She shivered, muscles clenching as she resisted the need to get _closer, _the desire to just let herself go, and give up the reins to the superior predator. 

She was a bit too prideful to give up quite so soon though. 

Toni stepped back before Loki gave in to the impulse. There was a cocky smirk on her lips, shiny with just the hint of gloss. 

Loki knew the brand. Cherry flavored. She wanted to taste it, wanted to know if the sugary sweet taste of artificial flavor would change with the taste of _Toni_, or if it would stay the same. Wanted to know if kissing her would be like eating candy or _better_. Somehow she had a feeling that, like those spicy sour sweets, it would burn her through and she would still come back for more. 

She licked her lips. 

Toni chuckled. 

“So impatient. Come on.” 

Taking hold of Loki’s wrist, she dragged her deeper inside the house, turning a few corners to reach the chaotic mess of a living room. 

Pillows and covers were spread out everywhere, covering the carpeted floor in a haphazardous layout. A few strings, ropes and what looked like mechanical grade chains held up what looked like a mix or curtains and bedsheets, partitioning the room in a seemingly arbitrary manner and yet enclosing the corner of the room around the sofa and TV screen area in a manner that was… pretty cosy. Crossing the curtained threshold showed even more mountains of pillows _on _the cushions and a coffee table overflowing with various snacks. 

“You’ve made a pillow fort.” 

Toni shrugged, all crooked smile and flour smudges. 

“I never had a slumber party, before. I’ve heard pillow forts were a mandatory part of them.”

Stunned, Loki turned to look at her… girlfriend (hopefully) and saw the almost sheepish look she sent her. 

Loki looked back at the shimmering cloth that made the fort’s ceilings, much lower than the real one, with her _rich-people-house_ kind of oversized and her _show-up-in-magazines _type of minimalist decor. 

_This_… this was downright cozy. And hilariously mismatched and completely crazy because…

“Are those the fixtures _from your lab?_” 

And _that_ was clearly an embarrassed blush. Something a little defensive came in Toni’s voice, blending with the self deprecating humor of those who preferred to take a stab at themselves rather than let the others take the knife. 

“The blankets kept _falling down._” 

And there she was, the Toni that was almost childishly offended when the laws of physics didn’t do what she wanted and so she had to twist the real world to fit her desires. 

As much as Loki loved the smooth talker with bedroom eyes, the polished and ruthless businesswoman, the possessed and awe-inspiring genius inventor… she had one hell of a soft spot for that enthusiastic and spontaneous chaos maker who could, and probably _had_ spent the couple hours since their phone call emptying out a Home Depot of all their beddings and screwing hooks all over her ceiling just so they could have an actual pillow fort. She wouldn’t be surprised if said hooks had a few tons of bearing capacity. 

It was entirely over the top. 

It was completely _ridiculous_. 

It was perfect. 

All at once, Loki felt all her nerves leave her, all her uncertainties and self consciousness, leaving only the warm gooey feeling that warmed her cheeks whenever she saw that incredibly _dorky _side of her… girlfriend. Soon to be lover, hopefully. 

And when she looked back at her, that woman who could have the world, who could have shown off and dazzled her with diamonds and operas and fireworks, but instead decided to let herself be vulnerable like that, to show the probably unsaid wishes of a too lonely genius rich kid locked up in her parents mansion with tutors and expectations and never any hold on her own fate…

She couldn’t help but fall in love all over again. 

So Loki smiled, smitten, and brushed a kiss against Toni’s lips, whispering against cherry and uncooked cookie dough: 

“This is lovely.” 

And Toni smiled like the sun, eyes crinkling in the corner warm like sun baked honey, at once wise and youthful. 

And, in that single beautiful moment, a crystal clear instant frozen with her realisation, Loki knew she could love this woman for the rest of her life and never get tired, never doubt, never be let down. 

And then time started up again, something mischievous and excited twisting Toni’s lips. She pushed Loki down on the pillows, an overflowing mass of cushions cascading down from where there _probably_ was a sofa half burying her as Toni danced away, telling her to stay put. 

Loki blinked, half bewildered. She should probably have expected as much. Typical Toni. 

She swam up from where the quicksand like fluff had swallowed her, barely finding any footing amongst the bouncy stuff. She had a sneaky suspicion that there was something like a mattress or two under all that mess. 

It really wasn’t a pillow fort so much as a pillow _pit_. One could get lost in there. 

At least the cushions were soft, and while wrestling with the unbalanced piles to make sure they didn’t topple on top of the snacks, she managed to lay out a comfortable nest. One that was big enough for two. 

The screen was in plain view, the food right on hand, all that was missing was _her date. _

Said date was coming back amongst the heavenly smell of baked goods _and_ _how did she get the time to do all that?_

Toni pouted at her, her plateful of warm cookies and brownies still steaming in her arms. 

“Don’t look so incredulous. I _can _bake.” 

Loki raised an eyebrow. That sounded _way _too defensive _and _subject to interpretation. 

Also she’d _seen _Toni in the kitchen before. 

“Alright, _fine_, it was frozen pre-made dough, but it’s as close as I get to homemade and I know you like baked stuff.” 

And there were the warm fuzzies back again, the golden glow of affection that made her heart swell so much she felt _drunk _on it. 

Sometimes Loki wondered if she would ever get used to her friends thoughtfulness. Both Amora and Toni did that, going out of their ways to do small—or big— things just because she’d happened to mention a preference for something, a small wish or a shameful desire. All those things her not-father would have called weaknesses, ways for her to bring attention to herself when she should be seen but not heard. 

And yet, here they were noted, remembered, acted on and celebrated in a way that made her feel precious, cherished,_ listened to. _

She was getting addicted to the feeling. 

But only almost as much as she was growing hooked on sugar. At this rate she’d never fit her pants again. 

Perhaps that was their nefarious plan: fatten her up until none of her clothes fit her so that she would have to go around naked. 

The conjecture only made Toni laugh before she settled down next to her in their cosy nest. She exchanged the baked goods with the popcorn bowl on the table and handed it to Loki. Her face was alive with shared mischief and affection. 

Loki was fairly sure hers was the same, with perhaps the hint of a blush on her too pale cheeks. 

It was terribly unfair that Tony managed to be so sexy even in a Metallica Tee shirt three sizes too big and bloody _Cookie Monster sweatpants._ Clearly she was cheating, no one woman could have that much sex appeal. 

Loki didn’t have a single chance to resist. 

With Toni looking back at her under her lashes, amber eyes bright even amongst the flickering shadows, that slow lazy smirk as she bit her lower lip then released it oh so sensually, her tongue coming out to lick the crumbs off the corner of her mouth...

Loki whimpered, squirming in her pillows. Her hips rolled, thighs rubbing together as she tried to stealthily caress her folds. Arousal was pulsing though her, she could feel herself leaking and clenching over _nothing_, growing more sensitive to every single brush of cloth or flesh against her intimate parts. 

And yet she just knew from the mischievous glint in these too sensual eyes that this was just the beginning. Toni had no intention of starting anything remotely sexy at the moment. She was just being a terrible person and teasing poor inexperienced Loki with her sneaky lust attacks. 

“So, what do you want to watch, darling?” 

Called it. Loki would absolutely get back at her once she got her footing a bit more. 

It was only fair. 

“We have bad sci-fi, terrible old fantasy; hilariously awful thrillers and sad, sad, _sad_ zombie apocalypses. Your choice.” 

Loki couldn’t help the besotted smile at the ridiculous list, and how very much _them_ it was. 

No cheesy rom-com with a god awful lack of plot boy-meet-girl and contrived mess-up-and-break-up and nick-of-time come-back-together; no famous blockbuster with less sense than character development, no “film d’auteur” and their weird _artistic_ vision that necessitated three essays and two interviews in order to be understood right, in fact _nothing serious at all. _

There were too many serious things in their lives already to bring it to their relationship. 

Loki hadn’t even thought that far ahead, but Toni was right. This was what they needed: stupid, fun things, with no pressure and no judgment. 

Just the opportunity to watch terrible movies and let their poison tongues loose without worrying about destroying something fragile and beautiful like trust and friendship, or more practical like business relationships. 

Except for the zombies. Didn’t she say already that she hated zombies? 

“Wasn’t it a common date trick to watch scary movie in order for the terrified girlfriend to cling to the boy? I promise we can cuddle without resorting to jump scares. No zombies.” 

Loki was glad for the dim lighting, and the way it was filtered by the various curtains. She was pretty certainly blushing at how _forward _she was being. 

She _had _been quite a bit more explicit in the past, but it was certainly different. It was men, for one, and those were notoriously easier to maneuver, and for two? Well it was never actually _a date_, there was never actually a plan for anything beyond the night, and if they were very good, maybe the next morning. 

As she’d told Amora before, _this was important._

And yet, she thought as she looked at Toni’s movie selection, it didn’t need to be serious either. 

And then she could feel strong yet lithe arms sneaking around her, pulling her close to Toni’s bosom and a small squeak escaped her. 

“It’s a deal. No walking dead and free cuddling. Sounds fair.” 

Loki wasn’t quite certain it did, as it put her in a decidedly compromising situation. 

She could feel Toni’s manicured fingers sneaking under her loose top and lightly caressing the skin of her belly. It was already driving her crazy and the movie hadn’t even started yet. 

They were so close, their legs tangled together, Loki’s head pillowed on Toni’s breasts, Toni’s arms anchoring her, a willing captive who’d foolishly given blanket permission for her current plight. 

She could feel Toni’s heartbeat. 

She didn’t know why she hadn’t expected to be little spoon. She was the taller one, but clearly Toni knew how to take advantage of her loss of metaphorical footing. 

Then again, she didn’t mind it. It felt warm and reassuring to be so cradled in those deceptively powerful arms. She’d always loved _strength. _She’d thought dating a woman would mean she’d never be with someone who could just… pick her up and slam her against the wall, for instance. But then she saw Toni in her workshop carrying around pieces of machinery she couldn’t even _lift_, and damn if her worldview hadn’t shifted. 

And if a certain number of her fantasies didn’t now involve metal constructs of one type or another, that was only because they were Toni’s tool of trade and not at all because she wanted to see that strength holding her down, at her mercy and entirely vulnerable to all kinds of ravishings. 

And now Loki was squirming again, her own mind working against her as arousal started to build in her belly, the delicate skin of her cunt pulsing with need without even needing to be awakened with any stimulation. 

Toni’s arm stilled her as the movie started, and it was _so easy_, as though no effort at all went into making that unbreakable hold. 

Loki found herself melting and shivering in turn, her mind starting to cloud with want. 

A low chuckle by her ear told her that she was quite transparent. She blushed, the beginnings of shame starting to cool her down, but Toni quickly soothed her, reassuring and _hungry_. 

“You’re so beautiful in your need, so eager. It’s delightful to see you almost desperate already, have you squirming in my arms like that, like you’d like to rub one off right here and now, _but you can’t.”_

And Toni’s voice was a dark and sensual whisper, a secret she was imparting her, the promises of a night of sensual torment and abandon, of bodies moving in desperation, slick with sweat and cum, of always needing and wanting more after being already brought over the edge of _too much._

“You can’t because I’m not letting you, and that only makes you want it _more.”_

Loki _whimpered_. She felt herself leaking, throbbing, _wanting,_ and clearly Toni knew the effects she had on her, how her low silky voice and her unspoken erotic threats had only made things _worse. _

“No be a good girl and watch the movie, will you? Afterwards, we’ll see.”

And Toni’s voice started wandering her skin again, leaving trails of fire and desperation in their wake. 

The caresses were so soft, so delicate and yet Loki couldn’t escape them, escape the yawning hunger they awakened. 

She was too aware of them, goosebumps following their wake as she tried to squirm. Away or closer she couldn’t tell, but the forced stillness was torture, _and she loved it. _

Her hips tried rolling, but there was nothing to rub _on_, and soon Loki had to give her and settle back down against her tormentor, her eyes unseeingly watching the screen. 

So much for a relaxing date of innocently watching movies on the couch. 

Loki could feel the warm puffs of air caressing her cheek, Toni’s hand slowly sliding back and forth on the skin just above her boxers, and while it _seemed_ absentminded, Loki knew, _she just kne_w it was deliberately engineered to drive her crazy. 

And it was working. 

Her skin was sizzling, oversensitized and all to _aware_ of the slightest shift in Toni’s fingers and she tried to be good, _she did_, but the movie was barely halfway through before there was the hint of nails running along her ribs and a hint of teeth at the back of her neck and Loki _couldn’t. _

_“Please!”_

Tony chuckled darkly, whispering mockingly in her ear as she shifted around her. 

“Poor darling, so eager...” 

Her legs sneaked over Loki’s, feet rubbing deliciously against her bare calves, Toni’s mouth on her shoulder so distracting she couldn’t figure out what was happening beyond _more_, beyond Toni finally taking her seriously and stopping her endless teasing. 

And then Toni rolled onto her back, easily carrying Loki with her and, her legs hooked over Loki’s knees spreading her open and vulnerable. 

Loki choked on a gasp, trembling. Something deep inside her clenched with sheer want at the display of strength and control, at feeling so helpless and _caught_, caged in those strong arms, but only because she could trust them, only because she’d _put herself in them._

So she struggled for a moment, just enough to know the hold was _strong,_ just enough to feel trapped and safe and helpless and vulnerable and _so aroused_, and then she melted into her lover’s embrace. Because, surely, _now_ Toni would make love to her. 

Wouldn’t she? 

But no. The embrace stayed mostly innocent, if indecent. Toni’s hands never strayed below the line of her panties, her mouth never bit down for more than a nibble, and really, this was little more than aggressive cuddling. With an added edge of dirty talk, maybe. And teasing, lots of teasing. 

And once she’d stopped struggling, stopped yearning and reaching for more, she could feel herself relax into the hold. The burning need slowly simmered down into a steady thrum of warmth deep inside her belly, the raging fires of lust banked until only burning embers remained. 

This… this was comfortable. The warmth of Toni against her bask, the steady rise and fall of her chest, the the humid puffs of warmth against her cheek as Toni hooked her chin on her shoulder, the faint thrum of her heartbeat echoing the one pulsing in her ears. 

Toni’s hands became firmer, more of a gentle petting than a mischievous tease and a low pleased hum vibrated through her chest athaving her prey so compliant in her arms. 

Loki felt something soft and delicate overcome her. A strange sort of serenity as she basked into the closeness of another being, some long ignored part of her soothed under the constant contact. 

She might be just a little tiny bit touch starved. 

Her eyes went half mast as she let herself enjoy, _bask_ in the attention. Toni loved her, wanted her, and she almost purred at the thought. 

On the screen, the movie kept playing, ridiculously overplayed and delightfully disastrous and Loki allowed herself to pay some attention to that train wreck. Thankfully, one certainly didn’t need much brainpower to figure out what was happening. 

A niggling thought let her wonder if Toni had planned it that way to account for potential distraction. It didn’t necessarily matter but the thought was amusing. 

A particularly ridiculous line made her snort and burrow deeper into Toni’s embrace. This was some truly terrible acting. 

“Something on your mind, love?” 

Toni’s voice was soft against her ear, a gentler thing that spoke of a shared affection rather than lustful dare. 

Loki laughed and teased back, insulting Toni’s disastrous taste in entertainment and the actor’s prowess. A light and bubbly feeling made her giggle when Toni retorted right back, something about her elitist tendencies and her snooty standards. 

This, right then, _this_ was perfect. 

The good natured banter continued for the rest of the movie, just a backdrop for their discussion and a way to start new over-the-top arguments as they tried to make each other laugh. Toni’s deadpan was surprisingly unflappable. Loki loved it. 

By the time the credits rolled, Loki was a melted puddle of giggles laying on her side facing her love after a particularly unrestrained bout of laughter had made the both of them topple over. 

They were so close. Toni’s eyes were dark in the dim fort, flashes of light from the screen projecting light over a features time and again. Loki’s eyes traced over her dark lips, then back up over her delicate cheekbones, long lashes, thin eyebrows. The shock of white hair cropped short above her head. One side was shaved, the other falling with wild bangs over her forehead. She wanted to bury her hands in there, hold her close and kiss those tempting lips. 

So she did just that. 

Her fingers brushed the fuzz above her ear and carded to the strands at the back, slowly bringing them closer. For a moment they did nothing but breathe each other in, the smell of candy and popcorn next to the musk of their arousal and the chemical perfume of Loki’s shampoo. 

They were still high on laughter, on sugar and caffeine, on their closeness to each other and the low thrum of arousal that they kept fanning through the night, but Loki felt less desperation, no more nervousness or that frantic need to prove herself. She was loose limbed and happy and she wanted her kiss. 

Softly her lips brushed Toni’s, delicately gliding over them in a chaste touch. 

There was something a little magical about this. She could see the want in Toni’s dark eyes, the irrepressible need to _take_, to pin her down and _devour_ her, and yet there she was, laying pliant in her arms, letting Loki cradle her head and peck her cheek, and her nose and her lips again, letting her be _playful _when clearly she wanted something _more_, something darkly sensual and intense. 

But when she asked, Toni only said “There’s no rush.” She said “This isn’t about me” and “I love you.” 

And Loki? Loki straddled her and buried her fingers in that soft hair, pulling until Toni’s face alined with hers and kissed her _deep. _She poured herself into that kiss, her love, her need, her desperation and adoration, the way Toni was _infuriating _sometimes and how she would never want her to be any different. 

It was soft and biting and intense and slow. And Toni answered in turn, moving sensually against her, ravishing her with the same need, the same kind of banked terror you found in those who had been starved of affection and closeness for too long, the same kind of unrelenting hunger they got once they let themselves believe that someone could be _theirs, _truly theirs and fill that void inside of them. 

Loki broke the kiss with a growl, her own desire awakened. 

“I want this.” 

Loki’s eyes bore into Toni’s, serious and greedy, almost angry with the helplessness she felt against the flood of feelings sweeping through her. Something softened in Toni’s amber eyes, and she lifted herself up on an elbow, her other hand rising to Loki’s cheek, her thumb caressing the soft skin under her eye. Loki hadn’t even noticed the tear fall. 

Toni’s lips brushed hers again, a balm upon her raw heart, so sweet she felt her throat go tight.

“I’m not made of glass.” 

The words were barely a breath, choked and wrecked as they passed through her lips. Loki couldn’t tell if she was lying again. She certainly _felt _fragile, trembling softly in her lover’s steady hands, but at the same time the emotions crashing through her were so huge, so encompassing that nothing could possibly overcome them.

Toni tasted like cherries. 

There was mischief in those dark eyes as they looked back at her, her gaze searing through her soul, keen intellect entirely focused on her, making sense of her, seeing the things she can’t even perceive of herself. 

“Really?”

Toni’s smile was wry but kind as she challenged her claim. With a twist of her hips she rolled them over, pushing Loki down until she was flat on her back, surrounded by the sea of pillows. Wide green eyes stared up in shock as Toni hovered over her face, their lips almost touching. 

“Tell me, have you ever had sex with a woman before?”

The breathy words sent a ripple of need through Loki’s belly. Impatience. 

She _hadn’t, _in truth, but she wasn’t a virgin either. And she was certainly determined that she _would _before the night was over. 

And so her answer was cocky and playful, and certainly _didn’t _show her trepidation. Even though Toni probably knew anyway.

“There’s a first time for everything.” 

Sex with a woman wasn’t the only first that she was planning for on this date. Nor the most important. 

Sex with someone she was in love with? That warranted a tad bit more caution. 

And yet, it also called for abandon, and trust. So she glared up, defiantly confident even in all her inexperience.

Toni beamed back, her eyes crinkling with delight. 

Loki had always been a suspicious little shit. She’d always looked twice then thrice for people’s ulterior motives and she usually found them, and if she didn’t, then she tended to steer clear. But with Toni? She knew she could trust. 

Amber eyes peered down at her, warm and kind. 

“Let me know how you feel, ‘kay? I’m not gonna be complaining about blue balls if you want us to take a break.” 

Loki snorted out a laugh at the half joke, and blushed brightly as Toni pecked the corner of her lips, lingering there for a moment as Loki gasped, sobering up. 

Slowly, deliberately, Toni rolled up Loki’s top, pulling it up over her head and leaving her bare but for her boxer shorts. 

Loki should have been feeling self conscious, embarrassed even though she knew her body was nothing to be ashamed of, but she just _couldn’t. _Toni’s steady gaze held her own, so riveting she couldn’t do anything but look back, helpless against the intensity of it, facing the hellfire that would burn her so _sweetly._

And then Toni just _looked. _Her eyes swept over her bare chest, heaving with Loki’s panting breath, her trembling belly, the jut of her hips, her bent legs framing her, and her fingers followed, almost possessed with the reverence plain as day on Toni’s face. 

Loki had thought about that, how she had slept with so many people and yet none had ever been so important to her. 

She hadn’t realized that Toni would feel the same. 

And yet it seemed obvious now, with Toni’s fingers skimming the taut skin of her stomach, barely daring to touch in the same way an art enthusiast would let their fingers hover just above the painting they are about to restore. 

Loki’s skin tingled along their path, and heat started to suffuse her cheeks. Caught between mortification at the easy reaction and fascination at Toni’s attention, she could only lay there, looking up at her lover like a terrified rabbit in the claws of her predator. 

Such a vicious circle, blushing only made her more embarrassed and probably redden even worse. 

Toni only chuckled, bending down to press her lips to the skin of her jaw.

Loki shivered and gasped, surprised. Men usually went straight for the double bullseye on her chest. 

Tony rumbled against her jaw, amused at her apparent confusion. A murmur caressed the delicate skin of her throat mocking the incompetence of Loki’s past lovers for never really taking the time to explore. 

“No worries, hon. We have time.” 

Loki shivered at the small gust of cold wind against her wet skin. A sigh. “No rush.” 

Teeth tugged at a spot right under her earlobe and Loki gasped, curling up around her lover’s head as a bolt of arousal rushed through her. 

Toni let out a triumphant grunt at her find and proceeded to drive Loki entirely _out of her mind. _

Loki could never describe the sensual torture that followed, the way Toni kissed her again slowly until she was lightheaded, dragging her teeth slowly over her bottom lip. 

The way nimble and calloused fingers skimmed and caressed her skin, too light to give relief or do anything but electrify her, mapping her body, her reactions, her sounds of desperation and pleas. 

The way short cropped nails scrapped slowly against her ribs, her belly, her nape until she was helpless to resist, jerking and whining in reaction as her body lost itself more and more into its arousal. 

The way Toni’s hot mouth left wet trails of cold over her torso and how easily she played her body like one of her machines, making it respond to the smallest of her ministrations until Loki was lost in the pleasure. 

It was terrifying and exhilarating and Loki never wanted it to stop. 

Her hands grappled ineffectively at the couch cushion, then went to clutch at Toni’s shoulders, burying themselves in her silky hair. 

Loki cried out at a truly inspired bite along her ribcage, her back arched up and her head tilted back as her breath stuttered. She could feel pleasure radiating from deep inside her belly, pulsing through her as her need became more and more insistent. 

She wanted _more. _

Her legs fell to the side, accommodating Toni’s prowling as she conquered her body and tuned it to her whims. 

Loki’s breaths were nothing more than desperate gasps, whimpering puffs of air as she tried to make sense as her body drowned in pleasure, her hips moving of their own will, rolling, twisting as they seeked something, _anything_ to rub against. 

Her clit was throbbing, she was pretty certain her shorts were soaked through as they stuck to her skin and there was a fire, a _hunger_ in her belly that demanded to be quenched. 

She _needed _more. 

This was ridiculous, Toni hadn’t even touched her below the waist, hadn’t even brushed against a nipple, and yet Loki was already so _wrecked_. 

This was too much. 

Loki mewled in protest as she felt herself falling apart.

She _wanted_ and would not be denied

She clawed at Toni’s back, bit her neck against a searing pulse of need. Locking her legs around Toni’s back let her press their groins together, and _there_ was blessed friction!

But Toni was and always would be an incorrigible _tease, _and not just a little bit of a control freak. She should have known better, but then again that was half the fun. 

God forbid Toni Stark ever became _boring _and _predictable._

Teasing fingers started circling the sensitive flesh under Loki’s breast as Tony chuckled into her neck, lips barely caressing her skin as warm puffs of air raised goosebumps on her body. 

Loki gasped, hips stilling at the overwhelming rush of sensations. 

The barest brush of lips, a soft nibble and Loki trembled at the sweet torment, helpless against Toni’s masterful ministrations. 

Loki used to think that she liked it rough. Now she knew better. 

No one before had taken the time to play it _soft_ with her. 

Her skin was tingling everywhere, her heartbeat drumming against her ears as she let out a low moan, her hips started rolling again, frantically, she couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t _think _and Toni hadn’t even removed her panties yet. 

Loki was going to go _mad. _

And then Toni started _talking._

She told her sweet nothings about how beautiful she was, how wanton. How arousing it was to have her give herself like that, the way she let pleasure course through her with such abandon. 

She told her how much she loved her, her cleverness, her snarky comebacks, but also the quiet nerd who was just a bit shy and awkward. How charming she was with all her quirks, that incredible blend of self assurance and doubt. 

And she told her how much she wanted to take her apart until she was a mess of boneless limbs, too exhausted and fucked out to feel self conscious, too pleasured to feel anxious, too _loved_ to ever doubt _her_ again. 

Loki whimpered as Toni’s finger started circling the areola, a nail softly grazing the skin. It was too much. It was _nothing _and yet it was too much. 

She’d had men pounding into her, she’s been tied down, spanked, fucked with a dildo along with a dick. She’d been brought to orgasms, sometimes a couple of times in one night, but never had she before felt so overwhelmed, so sensitive, so unbearably aroused and _alive_. 

Wanton and yet helpless. 

Cherished.

She sobbed. 

“Come on, love. It’s okay.” 

And she _broke._

Her release crashed into her like a wave. She wasn’t even sure it was physical, she wasn’t nearly coherent enough to make sense of what actually happened but she felt her entire body clenching up, eyes screwed shut as something inside her was let loose. Feelings crashed through her, unnamed and all encompassing. 

She felt fragile. 

She felt invincible. 

Tony rose up above her as she caught her breath, something outrageously smug in her smile, but her eyes were soft. 

Loki would forgive her. Eventually. 

And with her skin still shivering with pleasure and need, she might even admit that she maybe had a good reason to feel smug. 

Tony pressed a kiss to her forehead and retreated with a challenging smirk. 

“Ready for round two, darling?” 

Loki pulled down that insufferable head and silenced her with a biting kiss. 

That woman would be the death of her, but then, what a way to go. 

She licked her lips and smiled back. 

“Always.”

They tasted like cherries.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, for those who didn't get the reference in the beginning of the second part; Sid is the name of the Cookie Monster, who is a character from Sesame Street.  
Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you thought!  
I hope you enjoyed :3


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